We are seeing a significant increase in online shopping today. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this trend? Nowadays, more and more people buy something on the internet more than shopping in markets or supermarkets. This essay will show the great benefits and some disadvantages of shopping online that consumers can encounter. The greatest advantage is convenience. With an internet-enabled phone, people can stay at home and order things from shops around the world. Orders will be delivered quickly to your door in just 1-3 days with domestic shops or more than 5days with foreign shops. Especially, the products on shopping online websites are extremely diverse in both kinds and designs. Almost everything can be found on e-commerce sites such as Amazon, Alibaba, or eBay. If you search the keyword "dress" on Amazon, American e-commerce website, It can provide over 30, 000 results. One additional benefit is the cheap price. The price of products bought online is usually lower than that of one bought in shops. Many webs provide comparing price functions, so customers can choose similar products at the best prices. They can save not only time but also money. However, shopping online also brings some drawbacks. Uncontrolled quality is probably the biggest problem when shopping online. Buyers do not know the quality of the product which they will buy. It may look good on the internet, but it is just a retouched photo and the quality you receive is low and not like the picture. Another disadvantage is cheating. Shops deliver other goods with low value instead of the goods buyers order. In the same way, the buyer receives the faulty item but the store does not agree to refund. Those are all tricks of money. For instance, some "virtual" shops take advantage of payment via credit before receiving goods, not delivery after receiving money. Shopping online has both advantages and disadvantages. People should consider many aspects to buy the goods they like. We believe that e-commerce companies will take strong measures to protect customer interests soon.
